Virtual experience imaging products

Number: 11483486
Published: 2022-10-25
Filed: 2019-05-23
Assignee: DISNEY ENTERPRISES, INC.
Inventors: Huebner; Robert E., Kalama; Asa K., Stepniewicz; Peter, Trowbridge; Robert S., Gorin; Joshua B.
CPC: H04N23/90; G06V10/141; H04N23/56; G06V10/993; G06V20/44; H04N5/265; A63G31/16; G06T7/0002; H04N23/71; H04N23/74; H04N23/60
Verdict: Low Hardware
Source: Google Patents · FreePatentsOnline

The keeper's note

Ride-based imaging/photography system hardware.

Abstract

Systems and methods for virtual experience video generation are disclosed herein. The system can include a passenger vehicle including a plurality of passenger locations, a content presentation system for presenting images from a virtual world to passengers in the passenger vehicle, at least one camera for capturing video of the passenger locations, and a processor. The processor can: capture video data of a passenger of a passenger vehicle during a ride experience, identify portions of captured video data for inclusion in the virtual experience video, select video data generated from a virtual world, and combine captured video data and generated video data.

Background

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION (1) The present disclosure relates generally to automatic creation of content capturing a passenger during a ride experience. Amusement rides have frequently included cameras located throughout the ride to capture passenger reactions to portions of the amusement ride. Most commonly, rollercoasters frequently have cameras positioned either immediately before or along a large drop. These cameras are able to capture images of passengers delight or fear as they begin or continue down the drop. (2) These cameras are frequently positioned in well-lit locations and/or are positioned in connection with artificial lighting. While these solutions are adequate for rides such as rollercoasters, they are unable to capture quality image data in many modern rides. Due to these drawbacks, further developments in amusement rides are desired. BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION (3) One aspect of the present disclosure relates to a method of automated image capture. The method includes: generating imagery of a virtual world to a passenger vehicle during a ride experience; determining a location of at least one passenger in the passenger vehicle during the ride experience; identifying a coming first event in the virtual world during the ride experience, which coming first event illuminates the location of the at least one passenger in the passenger vehicle; and capturing first image data during occurrence of the first event. (4) In some embodiments, the first event can be

Claims

1. A method of automated image capture, the method comprising: generating imagery of a virtual world to a passenger vehicle during a ride experience with a gaming engine; determining a location of at least one passenger in the passenger vehicle during the ride experience; using the gaming engine, generating information identifying when a coming first event will occur in the virtual world during the ride experience, wherein the coming first event illuminates the location of the at least one passenger in the passenger vehicle; communicating the information generated by the gaming engine to an image capture device; and capturing with the image capture device a first image data during occurrence of the first event. || 11. A system for automated image capture, the system comprising: a passenger vehicle comprising a plurality of passenger locations; a content presentation system configured to present images from a virtual world viewable in the passenger vehicle; at least one camera; a processor comprising a gaming engine and an image capture module, the processor configured to: generate imagery of a virtual world viewable from the passenger vehicle during a ride experience with the gaming engine; determine a location of at least one passenger in the passenger vehicle during the ride experience with the gaming engine; with the gaming engine, generate information identifying when a coming first event in the virtual world will occur during the ride experience, wherein the coming first event illuminates the location of the at least one passenger in the passenger vehicle; receive the information identifying when the coming first event in the virtual world will occur during the ride experience with the image capture module; and control the at least one camera to capture first image data during occurrence of the first event.